This invention relates to a laminated multi-layer card or plastic data carrier (identification card or payment card) with an entrapped security element such as a hologram or other Diffractive Optical Variable Image Device (DOVID). The contained holographic information protects against counterfeiting and assures authenticity. Furthermore, this invention relates to low-to-medium-volume production of such cards or plastic data carriers.
Laminated multi-layer cards and plastic data carriers mentioned above are used, among other applications, as credit cards, identification cards for companies' personnel, key cards for hotels, college campus students' identification and so on. Typical applications particularly suitable to this invention, namely low-to-medium-volume production of such cards, are linked on one hand to the high degree of difficulty to duplicate a hologram or other DOVID and, on the other hand, to the need to be run through a thermal printer after the application of the security device. In detail, the typical applications are: identification cards for small and medium sized companies, parking permits, proximity cards, licenses for drivers or pilots or other use, bank cards (special customer cards, temporary monetary instruments, and other cards used by financial institutions). In addition, this invention relates to local government's cards (state, county, city, etc.), law enforcement cards, ski resorts cards and other similar cards, virtually encompassing any card or card-like product requiring a visual authentication device (protection against counterfeiting and authenticity assurance) that, as already mentioned, must be thermally printed subsequent to the application of the hologram or other DOVID.
Data carrying cards such as personal ID cards, company personnel cards, key cards for hotels, student campus cards, vending machine cards, public security cards for fire and police, vehicle toll booth cards, parking permits, proximity cards, driver's licenses, pilots licenses are prepared by an overlamination process wherein the holographic or other security element is added to the surface of the card, and not embedded in the card, after the card has been individualized with specific data. This process is costly and requires special equipment at the individualization stage.
Large volume manufacturing of credit cards employs a hot stamping procedure. The cards are printed either before or after the cards have been laminated, or both before and after lamination. After the printing operation and before embossing the cards with information of an individual person, the cards are stacked in an automated feeder, and then dispensed individually onto a bed of a hot stamping press. A vertically cylindrical press then applies a hologram to the cards in a sequential fashion. The holographic image is transferred to the surface of the card as by heat and pressure. A hot stamping plate, comprised of magnesium, copper or brass, is constructed to have exactly the same size as the stamp area. A hologram transfer foil advances adhesive side down, and an electronic optical sensor is employed to align the holographic image with the hot stamping plate of the press. The final result is a card having the hologram on the top face, or bottom face, of the card. The hologram is very thin and is positioned directly on the surface. It can be readily scratched or even worn away over time. It cannot be printed over due to an uneven surface and also due to metal flaking.
A surface stamped holographic identity card cannot be thermally printed because the card has different thicknesses around the edges of the hologram, the print heads of a thermal printer can readily be damaged by coming into contact with a metallized surface (the hologram), and metal flaking of the hologram can cause shortened useful life of the printing ribbon of the thermal printer.
Methods are known to insert a hot stamp hologram below the surface of the identity card. Another process, similar to the hot-stamping procedure described above, causes the final images to be sub-surface as the hologram images are transferred to the pre-lam sheet. However, the process lacks proper registration of the hologram images and is extremely costly due to the time consuming nature of stamping multiple images onto the pre-laminated sheet at different locations. Furthermore, the lamination process causes serious degradation of the holographic image interference pattern, resulting in poor holographic image quality due to heat stress (visible as a frosting over the entire image or parts of it).
The problem then is that the lamination process can cause distortion of the holographic image. Other methods of overcoming the shortfalls of the hot stamping process are: a modified hot stamping technique wherein a specially designed hot stamping press can form the hologram on the pre-laminated card and subsequently form a protective layer on the security element; and putting the hologram on a film that can be inserted into the pre-laminated card just prior to lamination, the film being the same size as the card.
US Published Patent Application 2003/0127847, to Keller et al, relates to an identity card having a security element wherein the security element is in a plastic or lacquer layer that has a higher softening temperature than the layers of the card between which the security element is embedded.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,700, issued to Christen relates to an identity card having a security element located between two laminated layers, the security element being provided with a protective layer that is a carrier film. The security element is firmly adhered to the card body by hot sealing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,816, issued to Yin et al, relates to a laminated hologram decal having a release liner covering the pressure sensitive adhesive layer of the decal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,814, issued to Colgate, Jr., relates to a method of making a n identity card comprising the steps of printing information on a sheet of plastic material, forming a raised pattern on a separate sheet of material to create a 3D holographic image, coating the holographic image sheet with an adhesive material, attaching a pressure sensitive adhesive to one side of the holographic image sheet, placing the holographic image sheet on the surface of the sheet of plastic material for bonding by the pressure sensitive adhesive, overlaminating the surface of the plastic material with a transparent plastic layer to form a sandwich, and applying heat and pressure to the sandwich.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,426, issued to Moraw et al, relates to a process for preparing identity cards comprising the steps of: obtaining a card core material, directly transferring information from a recording carrier in an electrophotographic copying device to said card core material to obtain an image carrier, inserting a relief grid image into the image carrier as a security marking, and laminating transparent protective films on both sides of the image carrier that contains a security marking.
The currently available solutions designed to overcome the wear and tear limitations of the hot-stamped hologram (or other DOVID) on the cards, although in general applicable to large manufacturing processes, are not fully suitable for low-to-medium-volume production of cards and data carriers. The cumbersome setup, requirement for new applications equipment and elevated production costs associated with these solutions indicate the need for low-cost procedures, particularly for low-volume to medium-volume production. There is therefore a need for an inexpensive, easy to use procedure to insert the hologram or other planar DOVID inside the cards prior to the lamination process, a procedure specially designed for lower-volume manufacturing.